Teething

Each baby's experience of teething, and therefore her parents' experience of it, follows an individual pattern. Some babies sail through teething, others suffer with every eruption. For some teething babies, gums are red and swollen for weeks before any tooth appears; for others, parents discover their baby has produced a tiny new tooth without any prior fussing. On average, a baby's first teeth appear around his sixth month, but some get their baby teeth as early as three months or as late as twelve months of age. If you or your partner were an early teether, your child may follow the same pattern.

Emergence pattern

Babies are born with a full complement of 20 primary teeth below the gums, which push through in a fairly predictable pattern. The first teeth to appear are usually the lower central incisors. Next come the upper central incisors, and then the lateral incisors, the teeth that flank the front teeth, on the top and bottom. After that, babies typically skip a spot and move on to their first molars, upper and lower, between 14 and 18 months. The canines fill in the space a few months later and the second molars finish the set some time between the child's second and third birthdays.

Relieving the pain

Although no one has been able to measure just how painful teething is, it's clear from their behaviour that the discomfort of teething can make some babies really miserable. The two best solutions are counter-pressure and the application of cold. Teethers help; so does your finger for baby to chew on and for rubbing his gums. For cold relief, offer safe sizes of frozen vegetables to chew on, chilled puréed fruit, or a cold wash cloth. A frozen teething ring combines the two kinds of relief. For safety reasons, never tie a teether on a string around a baby's neck.

When nothing else works, try acetaminophen. Avoid over-the-counter numbing gels. They may numb the tongue as well as the gums and interfere with baby's swallowing. Their effect is short-lived, leading to overuse and serious side effects: when the gel is absorbed into the bloodstream, it can cause methemoglobinemia, a change in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.